Kaneland Fine Arts Festival set for April 22

Photo: The 13th Annual Kaneland Community Fine Arts Festival will be held Sunday, April 22, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kaneland High School. Many crafters and performers will be on hand throughout the day. File Photo

KANELAND—The Kaneland Community Fine Arts Festival will be held Sunday, April 22, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the campus of Kaneland High School. The festival, presented for no admission fee, will showcase over 500 pieces of student artwork from all of the grade levels of the Kaneland School District.

Besides viewing the artwork of the Kaneland Students, guests can interact with over 15 professional visual artists in the arts pavilion at the high school. Guests will also be able to experience the professional performing artists in the Kaneland auditorium. In-depth information on the artists can be found in the Kaneland Virtual Backpack, and on the festival website, www.kanelandartsfestival.org, prior to the event.

In addition to the artists, guests will be able to participate in hands-on workshops. The Kaneland High School Art Club will make balloon animals and paint faces. Patrons can create their own glass pieces and have their caricature drawn.

New this year is the Barn Quilt Workshop, led by Laura VanGemert and Steven Mockus. Patrons will be able to paint a piece of wood that will become an 8-foot square that will be sold to a barn owner in the Kaneland School District to be displayed on the barn owner’s barn. In addition to the barn quilt being made at the festival, Mrs. VanGemert and Mr. Mockus donated a finished quilt to the art auction. Barn owners will have two opportunities to get one of these two unique barn quilts for their buildings. Inquiries about the barn quilts can be directed to Maria Dripps-Paulson at maria.drippspaulson@kaneland.org or (630) 365-5100, ext. 180.

This year’s performing arts workshop will be presented by the Mime Company. The Mime Company will perform at the festival and provide a workshop immediately following the performance. Patrons interested in this workshop should plan on attending the performance prior to the workshop. Pre-registration is required for the workshop, and interested patrons (all ages encouraged) should contact Dripps-Paulson.

There are two exciting opportunities to help out the festival this year. If you plan on attending the festival, why not volunteer to help out on festival day? The festival welcomes volunteers in many shapes and sizes. Sign up as an individual or bring your whole family. If you are a part of the Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts and you would like to lend a hand, the festival committee would love to have you help out at this event.

More than 3,000 people attend the festival yearly, and over 100 volunteers are needed to continue the festival’s wonderful tradition. The Fine Arts Festival needs volunteers to usher, be the caricature artist’s assistant, collect donations for Stock the Shop, and assist with set-up and tear down. A volunteer form can be found on the festival website.

Check out the website for the Stock the Shop information, including a list of equipment needed to stock the scene shop for the continuing season. Each year, the scene shop goes through gallons of paint, pounds of nails and yards of lumber to create the scenery and other equipment for the Kaneland Auditorium. Here’s how it works:

1. Check out our Stock the Shop registry and shop for an item on the list (new items only).

2. Bring the item to the scene shop on the day of the festival between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

3. Receive a tax donation letter (in the mail) and a voucher for one free ticket to any Kaneland Community Fine Arts Festival event.

If you will be bringing in a large item, call prior to April 20 so that a specific time for delivery can be set up. Volunteers will be at the scene shop to help all donors. If you have questions, contact Chad Carlson at chad.carlson@kaneland.org.

This year, the festival is partnering with the Kaneland Foundation for its “Cooking for Kids” fundraiser, which will be held Saturday, April 21, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Patrons at this event will be able to sample the food created by Kaneland officials, such Kaneland Superintendent Jeff Schuler, as well as the Kaneland town and village mayors and presidents.

Patrons will vote for their favorite chef in a number of categories. The Kaneland Madrigals will provide the entertainment for the evening and patrons will be able to get a special preview of the student artwork on display for the festival. There will also be a silent auction.

All proceeds for this event will benefit Kaneland students. Advance tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children/students. Tickets purchased at the door will be $30 for adults and $15 for children/students. Tickets are on sale on the Kaneland website, www.kaneland.org.

Mark your calendars for this event, and don’t forget to order your festival T-shirt or tote (See website). Inquiries about the festival can be directed to Dripps-Paulson.